Camps de Rêves has been given Royal approval – as the first Guernsey businesses to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise.
After a push to promote the scheme last year, including by the King himself when he visited the island in July, the team at Camps de Rêves Glamping entered the sustainability category.
They’ve said they’re “incredibly proud” to be the first business in Guernsey to receive this award, adding that it is a “landmark moment for both the island and the local tourism industry”.
“We are so pleased to receive this incredible recognition for all the hard work we’ve put into creating a glampsite that not only provides a unique, eco-friendly experience for our guests, but also contributes to the long-term health of our environment,” said Jane Barnes, co-founder of Camp de Rêves.
“This award affirms our dedication to sustainability and the positive impact we strive to have on both our community and the natural world.”
The King’s Award for Enterprise is seen as the UK’s highest honour for business excellence, ‘celebrating exceptional achievement in sustainable development’.
Camps de Rêves Glamping is one of just 197 organisations that has been recognised this year across the four categories of Innovation, International Trade, Sustainable Development, and Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility.
His Majesty The King will have personally approved the Prime Minister’s recommendation that Camp de Rêves Glamping receive the award in the Sustainable Development category.
His representative in Guernsey, the Lieutenant Governor said sustainable development is something the King is personally interested in.
“I am delighted to see a Guernsey-based company receive the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise – a first for our island and I hope this marks the start of many more such awards,” said Lieutenant General Richard Cripwell.
“I am also very pleased that Camp des Rêves has been recognised for its sustainable development, something that His Majesty was particularly interested in when He visited Guernsey last year.”
Camp de Rêves opened in 2020 offering ‘glamping accommodation’ in Shepherd Huts and Safari Tents.
It aims to combine comfort and sustainability with guests encouraged to enjoy eco-friendly activities such as birdwatching and nature walks.
Now that it has been honoured by the King, Camp de Rêves can use the King’s Awards Emblem for the next five years.
The Lieutenant Governor is expected to visit the site to formally present the award, while Danny Barnes, co-owner of Camp de Rêves, will attend a special reception at Windsor Castle hosted by His Majesty The King for this year’s King’s Awardwinners.
Originally launched as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, the late Queen Elizabeth II conferred the first awards in 1966. The recent name change reflects His Majesty The King’s desire to continue recognising and promoting outstanding business.
Guernsey companies were encouraged to enter through a collaboration between the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce, the Committee for Economic Development and Government House.
Stephen Rouxel, President of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce, said: “I am very pleased that the Bailiwick features this year in these preeminent business awards. This recognition shines a spotlight on the calibre of businesses that are thriving here, and the values that drive them. At Chamber, we celebrate companies that put people and planet at the heart of their mission, and this award reinforces the power of purposeful business on a global stage. It’s a moment of pride not just for the company, but for our whole community.”
News of the company’s achievement follows a number of local awards last year for Camp des Rêves, including the ‘People and Planet Business of the Year Award’ bestowed by the Chamber of Commerce.
Deputy Steve Falla, Vice-President of the Committee for Economic Development, commented: “To be recognised by the King in this way speaks volumes for the quality of what the Barnes family has created in St Peter’s. This award is good for the business, it’s good for tourism and it’s good for Guernsey.
“I hope that the other Guernsey businesses which submitted entries will try again and that more will be encouraged to do so next year. The criteria are onerous, but this success demonstrates that it is well worth it.”